Crumples Quiche
For two quiches:
12-14 large brown eggs (pastured if available)
1 cup whole milk
2-4 cups shredded cheddar cheese OR 16-24 oz. crumbled goat cheese
Pie crusts (We use soy-free frozen shells. But you can use any type, including homemade. Or skip the crusts altogether and make a big pan of crustless quiche, which works best with a glass baking dish, 9” x 13”.
2-4 cups other fillings (crumbled bacon, wilted spinach, red onions, caramelized onions, broccoli, wilted chard, corn, bell peppers, sausage, precooked potatoes, whatever goes well with eggs and cheese)
For our Artichoke Heart and Chevre quiche: To the egg and milk mixture, add two cans of artichoke hearts (rinsed, well drained, patted dry) and two 8 oz. logs of local chevre. If available, add another 4 oz. crumbled smoked Farmer’s cheese.
If using crust, preheat oven to 400°F. Bake the empty pie shells for 5 minutes. Poke holes with a fork in the crust to prevent bubbles after you add the filling. Reduce heat to 375°F. (Or preheat to 375°F for crustless version.)
If using two pie crusts, place them on a lined baking sheet side by side to catch spills and to provide stability in transfer.
Add solid ingredients (cheese, meat, veg) to pie shells, evenly distributed between the two or evenly across the bake dish if making crustless version. If you want to add spices, put them in with the solids, or they will just float on top (they will float on top anyway). In a large bowl or very large measuring cup, combine about one cup of milk with a dozen eggs. With fork, beat together egg mixture and pour evenly over other ingredients. I like to use the mixing fork to lift the ingredients and stir them gently, to make sure the egg is distributed well around the other parts of the quiche. If you think the quiches need a bit more egg mixture, beat a little more milk together with an egg or two and add to the other ingredients, stirring gently to incorporate.
Bake quiche(s) for 45 minutes on center rack. Serves 12-16.
These are pretty good as leftovers and make great food for academic crunch times, early parenting meals, and parties. We serve about 6 quiches a day at Tea and Crumples.
Sienna’s Southern Drop Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
½ - 1 teaspoon sea salt
½ cup brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
¼ - ½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup half and half, plus extra for coating
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 stick butter (or ½ cup coconut oil)
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup nuts, chocolate chips, or dried fruit (optional)
Preheat oven to 400°F. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugars. Cut butter into flour mixture until it is incorporated. It will resemble coarse bread crumbs. Add nuts/fruit/choc. chips. Add egg, vanilla, and cup of half and half. Stir with fork just until dough forms. It will probably take less than ten turns.
Drop onto ungreased baking stone or sheet by tablespoonfuls. Coat tops with half and half. (I add a tablespoon of H&H to the measuring cup that held the egg and use that mixture for the tops of the scones, so it’s sort of like an egg wash). Bake for 12 minutes. Check and return to oven for additional time as needed, checking at 2 minute intervals. Done when light golden brown on top. Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from bake sheet.
Serve warm or room temperature with clotted cream and fruit preserves.
Variations: for cinnamon pecan scones, add a teaspoon or so of cinnamon to dry ingredients. For cashew scones, remove granulated sugar and use an entire cup of brown sugar instead. For strawberry scones, add a little cardamom.
Cheddar-Sunflower Seed Drop Scones
This is our family’s scone recipe adapted to the savory side. They are like the light, thick biscuits you might remember from your childhood, that nobody makes anymore.
2 cups flour
3 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
1-1 ½ tsp sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste (~1/4 teaspoon)
2 tablespoons mustard powder
1 stick unsalted butter
1-2 cups shredded cheddar
¾ cup sunflower seeds (May substitute 2 Tablespoons minced fresh chives for another classic variation on savory scones.)
1 cup half and half
1 egg, slightly beaten
Preheat oven to 400°F. Sift or stir together first five ingredients, including mustard powder, if using. Cut in butter with pastry blender or with a butter knife and fingers until mixture looks like bread crumbs. Add in cheddar and seeds, stir to mix. In a measuring cup, mix together half and half and egg, then add to dry ingredients. Stir with a fork until just wet, around a dozen strokes (maybe a few more if you let the toddler measure the cheese and have more volume in the bowl).
Drop scones by handful-sized globs onto baking dish. Makes 8 big scones or 10-12 normal-sized ones. Bake for 14 minutes, then check. I added two minutes for my oven, but you should check at 14 mins. When light golden brown, remove from oven. Let rest a few minutes, then eat.
Sienna’s Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
1 cup unsalted pastured butter, softened
⅔ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
½ cup seedless raspberry jam
Mix together flour, salt, and thyme in a bowl and set aside. To the bowl of a stand mixer, add softened butter, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste in bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping the bowl often, until creamy. Add flour mixture and beat at low speed, scraping the bowl often, until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets covered in parchment. Make indentation in center of each cookie with thumb. Fill each thumbprint with jam. Bake 14-18 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let stand 1-2 minutes on cookie sheets, then remove to cooling racks. Cool completely, then serve or store in airtight containers for up to a week (if they make it that long). These freeze well, too. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.